Tuesday, 31 August 2010

Before i start with today’s post i thought you might like to see some pictures i managed to get yesterday on a wee wander up the hills at the back of us ..

A TIME TO THINK and regroup my beliefs

With myself and dogs exhausted after our long walk yesterday i was glad to hit the pit after several hours online catching up with emails etc ,so at 4.30am all quiet descended on the wee hovel high in the mountains ….

This morning i was wakened by the sound of Mel outside talking to someone and i lay there for several minutes trying to listen to the conversation and through a still half sleepy blurr i realised it was someone from the council.I dragged myself out my bed and got dressed and opening the window i asked Mel to open the door ( which we close when visitors come to keep Dylan at bay )

With eyes still trying to peel themselves open from sleep ,i listened as it was explained that someone had text the council to complain that i had been writing on my blogs about living free and that they weren’t happy.

So after A YEAR AND A HALF Bureaucracy comes calling and with Democracy in full flow the fact that one single person can complain that then sets the wheels rolling has never surprised me ,so with the usual questions age, name etc etc and the one that always gets me WHERE DO YOU GO TO THE Toilet ????? being my my favourite ,i was asked if i use chemicals which i don’t and i am proud that i simply shit in a bucket then lovingly return it to the earth but as always that answer is greeted with a look of disgust . so much better to cover the earth in proper blue chemical ..

with this ringing in my ears i then started to waken up as always the man from the council appears with a smile ( this never fools me) and after a conversation in which i was told that i see things through rose tinted glasses a phrase that stirs me up and always has ,so quick to judge then pin me down

Far from rose tinted the life that we have both lived has made certain that our eyes are wide open and if truth be said i would rather have rose tinted specs on than be BLIND to life ..

While listening to the red-tape man it was hard to concentrate the mountains where looking incredible a buzzard glides past truly free and calls out ,and the thought that we are travelling at thousands of miles per hour around the sun and at the same time the whole system spins in the wonder that is space just made me smile as always ( sorry just the daft old git waffling on again)

To the women that has been reading my blogs that then text the council :I am sorry that my lifestyle and beliefs have upset you .The fact that i try to live a FREE life , I WILL NEVER change the fact that i talk about the use of alternative energy enabling me to not have any electric bills or the fact that i collect my water and thus no water bill, or the fact that i recycle all my rubbish saving the council a wee bit ,and at the same time tidying all the laybys from Braemore to Aultguish i will not stop talking about this I pay my way …

The one point that is always hurled at us the fact that we don’t pay council tax , i have asked countless councils to pay tax and always just get told to sod of but in a more formal way , i have always said that they can introduce a TRAMP TAX OR FREE SPIRIT tax and i will happily pay that along with my other bills.

I served 6 years in the British army for queen and country and although i was nor involved in a war .I have had this hurled at me by both family and people in general ,the fact is i got of my arse and signed up and if i had been asked to fight i would have laid down my life for the country ( although nowadays my whole opinion on the army has changed ( just pawns for the rich gits )and for people that sit at home and spout their opinions from a cosy armchair by the fire , while soldiers die in muck and guts and are then spat at on return home ( although this has changed a lot in the last few years )

I have along with my wife worked in various jobs including driving careworker and many more and because the money we earned was invested in solar ,windpower ,tools etc instead of the latest shoes or holiday etc don’t you dare have a go at me because we are able to take life at an easy pace , the fact that i listened to my old gran and have no debt as i refused to join in the plastic card society don’t then have a go when you are in debt up to your bloody neck if i sacrificed the holidays for a sustainable debt free life then i am sorry but sod off and pay your credit card and keep your opinions to yourself i say .

I now take care of my wife ,who after several battles with cancer and the ongoing affects from chemo and radiotherapy just wants to live a free from stress life as far as possible (god there s that word again FREE) life and i will do all i can to give her it..

I work hard now with musicians ,artists ,business’s etc to get the word out how wonderful Scotland is. and if i can in any way help someone to keep there business going through people visiting my blogs ,films,and pictures then at least i feel i am giving back to Scotland in some little way …

so wherever you are today reading this GO for your dreams and NEVER let them grind you down

peace and light from the wee fat bald FREE dafthermit xx

So now we wait for the eviction process to begin … ( should be a good wee film at least for next years Loch Ness film festival)

LONG LIVE FREEDOM , ONE LIFE

and today i will be setting up a “TRAMP TAX / FREE SPIRIT TAX we want to pay the community tax campaign”

at a growing rate of up to 6 ft per year the create a quick screen for privacy

also they allow cover for birds insect etc

and after 2 to 3 years you can start to collect fire wood so eventually we will be totally self sufficient with regards wood another bill gone

not forgetting the fact that they produce oxygen .

Found this wee chap inside the horsebox he looked like he was on his last legs but i slowly picked him up and carried him to some flowers and watched as over an hour he regained his strength and was soon flying and buzzing between plants doing all humans the favour of pollination so we can all eat

With the rapid decline across the planet of this wee insect it feels good to help as much as possible this wee one.

While stacking all the wood after another delivery we came across this wee chap and after a couple of snaps i moved him to the new log pile and watched as he nudged his way deeper into the log pile .

Life in the mountains has so many rewards but to me the animals insects and birds are simply wonderful to watch and be around.

The Blackbus has now got its own postcode so i have made a sign and a large letterbox to placed near the road so the postie can quickly pop in the mail

Got an email today to say we have someone coming in a couple of weeks to do half a days filming about us for a film he is doing about life in the Scottish highlands

Also it is a little over a month till my films will be shown at the Loch Ness Film Festival so all in all the simple life is getting more and more busier

Sunday, 22 August 2010

Everything is now running well the wind genny has been through some severe gales and hung on in there , the solar panels and lights are all up and running now so with only a few more batteries to get then i can move on to finish the insulation etc

The log pile is looking good at least 8 tons stored ready for the coming winter

We even have a full address for the Blackbus and proper postcode strange really but slowly roots are being placed here at Loch droma

I have been busy setting up new sites to showcase talent fro all over Scotland and beyond and hopefully help the many people that want to live their dream of a simple life .

we got our first rasberrys and blueberries and Mel turned them into jam and with some home made brread sheer heaven .

I am off to the Muir next week to get a load of recycled barrels to make into azy beds for our veg and baccy

Living in the wonderful highlands of Scotland i have been able to get my creativity back with a vengence.Looking out from my wee bus at the mountains and the weather that rolls in from the Atlantic i find my mind and heart fulll of inspiration and ideas both for my films and for my photography and writing for my many blogs .This wee film is my attempt to show a wee glimce into my daft brain

Tuesday, 3 August 2010

Since 1999, when you play golf at St Andrews Scotland and look 80 miles out to sea, you are looking at English Waters. After secretly Westminster moved Scotland's Marine Boundaries from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Carnoustie. Making 6000 square miles of Scotland's Sea, English.

This act demonstrates that Scottish Labour and Liberal politicians will do anything their London based masters want.

Visit http://www.oilofscotland.org
for the truths, secrets, facts and figures that Westminster does want you to know about.

25% of SCOTS KIDS SOME 522,000 LIVE IN PERSISTENT POVERTY IN SCOTLAND EUROPE'S LARGEST OIL * GAS & ENERGY PRODUCER. END THE UNION STOP LONDON LOOTING OUR EMBARRASSING WEALTH.

In the last four year the Scottish economy has prospered with a surplus of £3.5 Billion in contrast the economy of the UK as a whole was £72.3 Billion in deficit. This surplus does not include the lost revenues for 15% of our Oil and Gas revenues being now in English waters. In 2008 this should have added another £2.2 Billion to Scotland's surplus.

The official order that ''quietly moved'' England's North Sea fisheries boundary 60 miles north. Was not openly debated in the Commons.

The order was passed by the House of Lords and the Committee on Delegated Legislation on March 23 1999.

It was moved by McLeish - then a Scottish Office minister and now a senior member of the Scottish Cabinet - and reportedly received minimal opposition from a committee containing three other Scottish MPs - Tam Dalyell - Scottish Labour, Sir Robert Smith – Scottish Liberal Democrats and John McAllion Scottish Labour.

Gordon Wilson, an SNP candidate said ''If it had been land rather than water which had been robbed in such a fashion there would have been an uproar.

''This carve-up has been done under the guise of devolution and it is a threat to our rights under Scots law. Scottish fishermen fish between 80-85% of the waters which are affected and are now suddenly subject to English law.

''This area has been removed from Scottish jurisdiction ... it is a dangerous precedent.''
Wilson said he was investigating whether the boundary shift would affect ''other activities'', such as oil and mineral exploration which take place inside the marine area.

LibDem Euro candidate Robert Aldridge said he was ''very concerned'' about how the alteration to the boundary ''had come about''.

''It has been quietly done and seems to have bypassed any democratic process,'' he said. ''It has broader implications for democracy which are quite worrying.

Hamish Morrison, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation chief executive, said that although the boundaries became law a month ago, the federation had not been informed about the decision and there had been no effort made by the government to consult with the organisation on the matter.

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A wee film about us on STVs the HOUR SHOW click on STV logo to see the film

Andy the Daft Hermit lives 45 minutes outside Inverness with his wife Mel in an old bus parked in a layby. This current home of theirs is the longest they have ever stayed in one spot. “I’ve been travelling now 25 years,” said Andy Lowe. “Mel’s been travelling 15. One of the reasons we’ve come and stayed up here is because of Mel’s health. I wanted to bring her to the mountains for fresh air and clean water and just a slower pace of life.” Mel has had breast cancer twice, skin cancer once, and for three years believed she had bone cancer after being wrongly diagnosed. Andy’s belief in the restorative powers of the north made them pack up ‘The Black Bus’ that they live in and cross the border into Scotland. New Highland home for hermit couple Andy and Mel “I think we both believe in trying to get to a more simple way of life,” said Andy, “but it’s strange for us because we are sort of hermits, or we like to live separate, but it’s not being anti-social… it’s just the way we are that allows us to be creative.” Andy first began travelling when he left the army. Fed up with bureaucracy he packed a rucksack and left for France and has been travelling ever since. By investing any money the couple have earned into solar panels and wind generators they now live a self-sustaining existence, without electric bills, and collect rain water “straight from Heaven”. “It’s not easy,” said Mel. “There might be time when there might not be enough facilities around, but you always find a way, you know?” Rather than rejecting technology, Andy blogs about his travels online and collaborates with artists from around the world via his ‘Scratchy Heid Film Studio’, which he runs from a static trailer next to the couple’s bus. He explained his philosophy: “My belief is that if you can go through life and you drop dead and you’ve got a balance there that slightly outweighs the good than the bad, you’ve done alright. “Yesterday, with what Mel’s been through with the cancer and all that, I had a woman on one of my sites there that thanked me for the writing, for the positive things, and to me that’s worth everything. You can keep your millions, we’re not interested. That is what we do.” To check out Andy’s artwork and video projects check out his website. MORE FROM THE NORTH

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Making a wee wodburner from a gas bottle is simple . no need for welding and to be able to install a heater for under £5.00 is music to my old wallet.and the real beauty is it takes very little to heat up the truck. and with all the insulation i have fitted the heat is retained throughout the night.

The next step will be to convert a wee botle to an oven to fit on top and above that will be a water tank .. grab as much energy from one wee log as possible

I hope you enjoy the wee film love and light from all in the wee mobile hovel here in the Scottish mountains.

Greengypsies Photography

My name is Frank Pickavant and I've been a keen amateur photographer for many years. I love the beauty and diversity of the British landscape and how it changes from season to season. Over the years I've accumulated many photographs that few people ever get to see, so I decided to create this website to share with family and friends and anybody else that happens to stumble across the site. I hope that you enjoy my photographs and also enjoy my musical slideshows that incorporate my favourite shots with music that I think will help viewers appreciate the mood of the photographs.

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We provide care, support and information for people affected by motor neurone disease in Scotland and also fund research. Find us on twitter @mndscotland

MY SCOTTISH PRIDEI WILL NOT HIDEMY SCOTTISH RACEI WILL NOT DISGRACEMY SCOTTISH BLOODFLOWS HOT AND TRUEMY SCOTTISH PEEPSI WILL STAND BY YOUTHRU THICK AND THINTILL THE DAY WE DIEOUR SCOTTISH FLAGALWAYS STANDS SO HIGHAND I SHOUT THIS POEMLOUDER THAN THE RESTCOZ EVERY ONE KNOWSWE SCOTS ARE THE BEST

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Dafthermit...

A fat wee bald idiot that lives a simple life...

Where we live

View from the bedroom window in the bus

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dafthermit

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Welcome

Welcome to my wee blog.My name is Andy ( The Dafthermit ) . For the last 20 odd years i have ben trying to get back to a simpler way of life and finally in my old bus up here in the Scottish mountains i am finally getting there. My time now is spent taking pictures of the highlands ,making films to show the world the beauty all around and writing something that has surprised me having had a few of my stories published , Having picked up a camera and laptop in 2008 i have really enjoyeed the journey the camera has taken me on again having had a couple of pictures in national magazines, last year three of ,my films where shown at the Loch Ness film festival. anyway i hope you enjoy your visit to my wee blog